It's Never too Late - By Tara Taylor Quinn Page 0,57
Playing hard to get worked sometimes. But he hadn’t been playing. And wouldn’t. Thoughts tumbled one after the other. He wasn’t a game-playing type of guy, Ella knew that....
“I’m okay.” She didn’t sound normal. “I wasn’t sure you’d even speak to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“The way I treated you there at the end. Before you left. Going out with Rick. It wasn’t right.”
“Sure it was. You told me what you were doing. If you’d done it behind my back, that wouldn’t have been right.”
Two minutes ago he’d been heading home, to his new home, hoping like hell that he was going to make love with his new neighbor.
“I ignored all the texts you sent.”
“You told me you didn’t want to talk to me.” And he hadn’t wanted to harass her. He’d just wanted her to know that he wasn’t leaving her. That he’d be there for her if she needed him. He’d wanted to honor the promises he’d made to her. “Anyway, what’s done is done.” Or was it? God, he hoped it was. “Tell me what’s going on. How’s everyone doing? How’s work?”
He stopped short of asking her how she was doing, personally. It made him ashamed as hell, but he didn’t want to know.
“I’m... I don’t know how to tell you this.”
It sounded as if she was crying. He stiffened, his free hand wrapped tight around the steering wheel.
“You can tell me anything, Ella, you know that.”
Was she getting married? And feeling guilty? How did he tell her he was fine with that?
“I know. And I will tell you. It’s just that, it’s so good to hear your voice and...”
She was crying. Because she was suddenly missing him? Doubting the decisions she’d made?
Ella had always come to him first before deciding anything major. Which was fine with him. Even now. The crying...that was new....
“Are you drinking, Ella?”
“No.”
“Not even one or two?”
“No! Of course not! I just...talk to me, Mark. How’s school? Are you working? What do you think of Arizona?”
She didn’t ask how Nonnie was doing.
“School’s fine. I got a job at a plant here. Arizona’s different, but not bad.” The desert was growing on him, but he didn’t think Ella would understand if he told her so. The way the shades of brown took on life was something you had to experience. And he was certain she didn’t want to hear that he liked his new life. “What’s up, Ella? I’ll help if I can, you know that.”
Was she in some kind of trouble?
He glanced at his watch. Almost nine o’clock. Would Addy wait for him? “Is it work?” he asked. “If there’s a problem at the plant I can make a few calls. You in trouble there?” She’d been late a couple of times. Once more meant a write-up.
Ella wasn’t the type to cry over a write-up. Or even over being fired. She took life in stride. Didn’t get real worked up about anything.
Like him leaving. She just found someone else. Even before he was gone. Life always had options.
“Work’s fine. What kind of plant are you at?”
“Cactus jelly. I’m doing the same kind of work I was at home.” Home. An odd term for a place that seemed so far away.
“You’re supervising?”
“Yeah.”
“How’s the weather? Is it really hot?”
“Not too bad, eighties and nineties, but it really is a dry heat like they say. Nineties seem like seventies back home. You wouldn’t believe the difference it makes not having all that humidity weighing you down.” Cars whizzed past on the highway leading into town and a new wave of guilt assailed him at his eagerness to be among them. So he kept talking.
“From what I hear, getting here in September was a good thing. It never dropped below a hundred the entire month of August.” He pictured Addy, sitting in her chair, watching her fountain. Had she noticed that his truck wasn’t in the driveway?
“Maybe I should come out. For a visit. I’ve got vacation time coming...”
Ella, here? “Sure, Ella, if that’s what you want to do.” Ella staying next to Addy? Even more outrageous, Ella and Nonnie in the same house? “I’m busy with classes and work so I wouldn’t have a lot of time to show you the sights, but you could do some exploring on your own.”
He supposed she could walk to town and back, maybe get a bike... A month ago he would’ve been happy enough with the prospect.